Page 51 of Fighting for Brielle
Brielle held out her hand, which Rosie accepted. “Hi, Rosie. It’s nice to meet you.”
“You, too.” She eyed the picnic basket. “I’m kinda hungry.”
Justice chuckled. “So am I! Let’s head down to the beach.”
He grabbed a huge beach umbrella, a few towels, and the blanket the Westfalls’ provided, and the trio tramped down the steps. They found their perfect spot, and Justice set up the umbrella while Brielle spread the blanket and set the picnic basket on it. He attached a brown hexagonal Bluetooth speaker to one of the spokes in the umbrella and pulled up a playlist of Disney tunes on his cell phone. They listened to the soundtrack from theMoanaas they devoured ham and cheese sandwiches, potato chips, and nearly the entire container of homemade chocolate chip cookies.
Afterward, Justice helped Rosie build an elaborate fortress in the sand. He flashed Brielle a smile as he lugged sand and water to create their architectural wonder. His eyes kept straying toward her because she’d removed her tank top and shorts to reveal her body clad in an emerald green bikini. God, she was killing him!
Hot and sweaty and covered in sand, Justice and Rosie decided to take a dip in the Pacific after they built their sandcastle. Brielle joined them, and they enjoyed frolicking in the powerful, rolling waves. Rosie could swim, but Justice and Brielle kept a close eye on her.
Later, they returned to their blanket and finished the rest of the lemonade and cookies before heading back to the house.
After Rosie hugged and thanked them for spending the afternoon with her, Justice and Brielle turned to leave.
“Wait, Justice!” Her chin quivered a little. “Aren’t there supposed to be funerals for Mom and Dad? For my aunt and uncle and cousins? And…and Arnie?”
Startled by her unexpected question, Justice looked helplessly at Brielle.
She sat on a deck chair and pulled Rosie close to her. “Rosie, honey, how do you know about such things?”
Big tears filled her brown eyes. “I’m not a baby, Brielle. I’ll be eleven in July. I’ve been to funerals. I know we’re supposed to bury the dead.”
Brielle glanced up at Justice and saw the stricken, heartsick expression on his face. She tightened her arms around the little girl. “I’ll tell you what. Justice and I and the Westfalls will make all the arrangements for the services. Tomorrow after school Mrs. Westfall can take you home so you can get the rest of your things and pick out clothes for your mom, dad, and brother. And maybe some pictures, too. Justice and I will go to your aunt and uncle’s house and do the same. It may take a couple of weeks, though, for everything to be settled. Does that sound okay?”
Those big tears pooling in Rosie’s eyes now rolled down her cheeks. She threw her arms around Brielle’s neck and mumbled, “‘kay.”
“Do you want to go to school tomorrow, sweetie? There’s only three weeks left. Mrs. Westfall could pick up your assignments for you.”
Rosie lifted her head. “Yeah, I’m good to go to school. Ineedto.”
“Well, if anyone bothers you, tell them you’ve got Chief Justice on speed dial,” Justice chimed in. “I’ll be there in a flash to set them straight.”
She grinned. “Thanks, Chief, but I’ll be okay.”
He ruffled her hair. “All right, kid.”
As he and Brielle walked back to his house, he said, “Bri, maybe it’s just me, but do you think Rosie is, well, far too calm after what’s happened?”
“It’s not you. I don’t think reality has hit her yet, and when it does, you need to be prepared, Justice. There’s no telling how she will react.”
* * *
Justice and Brielle spent a romantic evening making sweet love and talking and caressing while they lay in each other’s arms on his pink sheets. Before it grew too late, however, he escorted Brielle home, and they kissed for long moments on her deck, loath to part.
“I’m gonna miss your warm body next to mine tonight,” Justice murmured, tracing her jawline with a finger.
Brielle uttered just one word. “Stay.”
He couldn’t resist her invitation. They made love one more time before falling asleep, wrapped securely in each other’s arms. By four-thirty, though, they were up and out on the beach to continue Brielle’s training. An hour and a half later Justice kissed Brielle farewell, told her to be careful, and promised he’d see her at the Main Street Gym after their shifts ended.
Justice’s first order of business at the station that morning was to deal with his four officers returning from their suspension. He dealt quickly with Morton and Holcomb, partnering them with older, more experienced officers and sending them on their way.
Officer Owen Dooley, however, posed a different problem. From the scowl on his face, Justice presumed his attitude toward him remained unchanged.
Leaning back in his leather swivel chair, he asked, “Why did you become a cop, Officer Dooley?”
“To serve and protect.” Dooley smirked.
